


Rey Day

by tspofnutmeg



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Finn Starwars and Rey Starwars need birthdays, Finn is a menace, Gen, How they got the TIE from the trailer, Is Rey bold or just an idiot?, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tspofnutmeg/pseuds/tspofnutmeg
Summary: The last Rey Day was good, but this one was going to be better.





	Rey Day

**Author's Note:**

> Commission for the wonderful Jaclyn <3

Finn and Rey are two people who grew up without holidays, birthdays, or any sort of celebration. Any attention was bad attention because it singled you out, made you vulnerable. But then they joined the Resistance, found a family who cared about their happiness, about their achievements, even if it was just surviving another year. 

They had surprised Finn first, with a homemade dinner and a few small gifts. Finn felt guilty for a moment, wondering about Rey, but Poe whispered to him they had a day for her too. Rey had forgotten about the whole thing when they surprised her a few months later, this time Finn was included in the planning, making sure there was a wider spread of food for Rey to try. 

What Poe and Rose didn’t share was the day after they celebrated Finn’s birthday was Shara Bey’s - Poe’s mother - birthday. The day before they decided to celebrate Rey’s was Paige Tico’s. In this small way, they could continue celebrating their loved ones all together. It felt right, and they didn’t think Shara or Paige would mind.

 

* * *

 

_ “Keep Rey out of the base for seven hours.” _

Those are the only instructions Finn gives to Rose and Poe. They tried to help him with preparations last time, but more often than not they would make things take twice as long. Neither of them are especially gifted when it came to logistics involving meal prep, decorations, and entertainment, and besides, the absence of all three of them at the same time makes Rey suspicious. Better to divide and conquer. 

Between the two of them, Rose and Poe figure it will be easy enough. They’ll leave the  _ Warm Sunlight _ and find a planet to explore a bit, have a picnic (but not too much food, Finn has a buffet planned), relax, and come back exactly on time. Finn will be happy, Rey will be surprised, Rose and Poe will get praised. 

It’s a good plan.

Unfortunately, none of them are known for being able to stick to a plan. 

 

* * *

 

Pride is a strange feeling for Finn after all of the shame he feels about being in the First Order. More and more he gets used to it, feeling proud about learning how to save lives rather than take them, being proud of the strength and ingenuity of his friends and fellow Resistance members.

But those don’t come close to the pride he feels from gasps of delighted surprise. Of laughter and camaraderie deep into the night. Of feeling like, for maybe only a few hours, the love and happiness in their home could touch and light up the entire galaxy.

There’s nothing that makes Finn feel more proud than throwing a damn good party.

He glances at his chrono before grabbing his datapad and sending various alerts and update inquiries to his enlisted help. The last Rey Day was  _ good _ , but this one was going to be  _ better _ . 

 

* * *

 

Poe crashes onto the ground, groaning in agony. He never considered himself out of shape, he exercises regularly and is mindful about his eating, but this hike makes him feel like an old man. He actually did keep up with Rey for most of it, his pride and competitive bent getting the best of him, forcing him to go faster on the hike than he really should have.

Rey laughs warmly and wipes a light sheen of sweat from her brow while she stands over him. She looks back the way they came, watching Rose drag herself up the incline. Her pants are rolled up to her knees and the blouse she started the day with is now tied around her waist. She’s obviously exhausted, but there’s a determined look on her face that promises the mountain that she’ll conquer it. 

Rey smiles proudly at her, at the mix of spirit and spite fueling her. She idly thinks Rose should wear tank tops more often because she has cute shoulders. 

“You should wear tank tops more often, you have cute shoulders,” Rey says when Rose is finally in front of her, bent over with her hands on her knees and breathing hard.

Poe doesn’t have the energy to laugh at the way Rose blushes and gawks at Rey, unable to get in enough air to say something clever or flirty back (not that she has something clever or flirty to say, she needs few minutes to think). Rose settles for gesturing at Rey’s canteen instead and busies herself with trying to feel like she isn’t dying. She lowers herself to the ground more gracefully than Poe, but it’s clear she’s joining him in misery. 

Rey walks around the clearing they’re in, looking at the nests in the trees and the wildflowers punching through the hard dirt. It’s a nice planet - dry but not too hot, golden and crimson rock formations, enough vegetation to make it feel alive. She looks beyond the edge of the mountain, tangerine streaks of clouds cutting through the sky. It makes her feel like a star - small and far and singularly insignificant, but at the same time radiant and lasting and _ reaching _ . 

Yes, it’s definitely a nice planet.

Rey turns around, hands on her hips. The sudden movement is enough to get Rose and Poe’s attention.

“Ready for the second half?” she asks, beaming.

Poe flops back in the dirt, his knees already aching. He forgot they would have to climb back down.

 

* * *

 

Rushing out of the hanger after checking the delivery of fresh fruits, meats, and flowers from Endor, Finn almost barrels straight into Snap Wexley - a man who probably should not be in the hallway outside of the hanger.

“Wexley...”

Overall Finn is known to be easy and pleasant to work with. He’s considerate, smart, and polite… Except when it came to party planning. There were time tables and charts more detailed and harsh than any mission briefing and Finn started referring to people by their given names instead of the more friendly way he usually addresses them. 

Finn’s eyes narrow as he assess Snap’s empty arms and references the schedule in his head he memorized two nights ago. Snap absolutely should not be in this hallway. 

“What are you doing?” he asks, but it sounds like a demand.

Party Planning Finn was decidedly  _ not _ friendly. 

“You’re supposed to be helping Pava with the decorations,” he reminds, but it sounds more like a threat.   
Party Planning Finn was  _ especially _ not friendly if he thought you weren’t doing your assigned tasks.

Snap’s mouth opens and shuts a few times, trying desperately to think of something to say that would be a good enough explanation. Nothing comes to him. He knows he’s in trouble. 

 

* * *

 

“Should we head back?”

Rose and Poe exchange concerned looks between heavy breaths. For as difficult as it was, the hike still only ended up taking three hours to complete. They still needed to keep Rey occupied, but more importantly  _ away _ , for another four.

“There...was… a lake…” Rose starts, trying to think of anything that might be of interest.

“A lake?” Rey and Poe ask at the same time.

Rose elbows Poe in the side before stepping toward Rey to explain, “A lake! A big, beautiful lake! H-have you ever been swimming before?”

The smile that blossoms on Rey’s face makes Rose very glad she remembered the lake.

“I haven’t, but I’ve wanted to,” Rey says, a little too soft and shy. They haven’t been anywhere that had a body of water for swimming long enough for Rey to finish their business and take some rec time. 

Rose returns her smile. Before she can lose the bit of boldness from oxygen deprivation, she grabs one of Rey’s hands and starts pulling her toward the lake and - more importantly - away from their ship. “Then let’s go!”

Poe watches them go, Rey cheerfully gripping Rose’s hand even though she doesn’t need to be led. He chuckles and shakes his head, not minding being forgotten. Turning the opposite direction, Poe goes to check out something more suspicious and potentially more beneficial than a lake. 

 

* * *

 

After thirty minutes of walking, Poe allows himself one victorious smile before getting serious. He was right to trust his gut. On the way down the mountain, Poe had noticed an odd shimmer against a scenic background that was too perfect to be natural. Anything out here that doesn’t belong and has to be kept hidden is worth investigating.

He recognizes the cloaking generators from this distance. It’s tech not often used because its reliability is spotty at best, but Poe assumes that the remoteness of the planet is the first line of defense and this is just a back-up. There are no guards on patrol as Poe carefully and quickly makes his way closer to the area. Nothing alerts him to cameras, booby traps, or other security measures. 

Just like the First Order to get unreasonably cocky. When will they ever learn that always works in the Resistance’s favor.

 

* * *

 

It isn’t until they hear the explosions that Rey and Rose notice Poe is no longer with them. They knew he wasn’t  _ with _ them, but they figured he was  _ around _ them somewhere, standing guard or just resting and staying out of the way doing whatever it is fighter jockeys do when they’re not flying or practicing flying. Rose had guided Rey to the shore of the lake thinking mostly of the way Rey’s fingers pushed against her skin and how Rey’s hand fit nicely in her own, not how far behind them Poe was walking.

After they stripped down to their undergarments and waded into the chilly water, Rose was solely focused on keeping her heartrate steady, and the way Rey splashed in delight and tried to chase after small curious fish. When it came to the actual swimming lessons, Rose was horrified to learn how easily Rey sinks and impressed by how long Rey could hold her breath. She never thought about Poe; she isn’t supposed to worry about Poe, that’s Finn’s job.

When the shriek of a TIE sounds overhead, Rose throws herself at Rey, pushing her behind a patch of shrubs that is the only cover around. The noise fades and is replaced by Rey’s laughter. Rose stares down at her, too shocked and scared to notice she fell onto Rey’s lap. Rose can’t appreciate the moment and wonders if she hit her head on the way down. 

Rey stops laughing long enough to smile sincerely at Rose. She reaches up to push a lock of hair out of Rose’s face and says, “It’s okay!”

“It’s not okay, Rey, it’s a TIE!”

“It’s Poe.”

“It’s probably after Poe!” Rose knows she’s talking too loud and they’re too exposed, but Rey isn’t getting it. They’re in danger!

“No, Rose, it’s Poe in the TIE.”

Rose stares at her again, uncomprehending. There’s no time to sort it out, the TIE is back, moving slowly toward their position before it starts lowering itself to meet them. She scrambles up, pulling Rey with her, muscles tense and ready to react.

For her part, Rey calmly brushes the sand off of her legs and uses the Force to call her lightsaber into her hand. She knows there’s nothing to worry about, but she figures it’ll help with the anxiety radiating from Rose.

The TIE hovers above the beach, causing waves to ripple in the once calm lake. It’s an interceptor, different from what they’ve seen before which sparks worry about how quickly the First Order is churning out fighters. But they’re the Resistance, determined to face whatever those bastards throw at them until the galaxy was free of their evil. Rose pushes down her fear, a little easier with Rey standing next to her.

Once the sand kicked up from the repulsorjets settles back onto the ground, Rose can see a grinning face waving at them from the cockpit of the TIE. She lets out a bark of laughter and relief before running toward the it, shouting all the ways she’s going to kick Poe’s behind for scaring her like that.

 

* * *

 

Finn gets the notification of his family’s return as he swaps the places of a plate of roasted topatoes and a bowl of salad made of purple and red leaves of some sort. They were a little late, but he had planned for that. He knows them. He throws his apron into the laundry bin in the kitchen and heads toward the hanger.

When Finn arrives, the smile of anticipation on his face melts into a look of wild confusion. What the  _ hell _ was Rey doing flying a top of the line TIE interceptor into their base? 

The lightly armored shuttle they had all left in touches down next to the TIE. When the ramp lowers, Rose immediately runs to assist the ground crew, who are gasping and fawning over the enemy fighter. Poe emerges from the hatch on top of the eyeball and slides down the side without waiting for a ladder. He lands in a crouch, his knees again cursing him for acting like he’s ten years younger, and immediately has to placate BB-8 who rolls over to him furiously beeping about TIEs and their lack of astromechs. 

Finn stomps over to Poe and grabs his arm before whispering harshly into his ear, “What is  _ that? _ ”

“That-” Poe answers, moving Finn’s hand from his bicep into his own instead, “-is the last two and a half hours of distraction you asked us for.”

Finn’s brow furrowed. “...You stole a TIE fighter just to keep Rey busy?”

“That was the main motivation, sure, but now we have a bright and shiny TIE interceptor! We can take it apart and learn its secrets or use it for recon or go undercover… Overall it’s a win for the Resistance.” Poe sounds so sincere, Finn almost believes him.

“You did remember to check for any kind of tracking that thing might have, right?” Finn asks.

“Of course, Finn, I wouldn’t have brought it back if it wasn’t safe. What do you take me for?”

Finn gives him a significant look. It earns him a punch in the shoulder. 

 

* * *

 

Hours later the four of them have sunk into the plushest couch, brought out only for special occasions. Rose is asleep, exhausted by activity and a roller coaster of emotions, her head resting on Rey’s thigh as she dreams of sparkling turquoise water, soft skin, and ringing laughter. Rey is working on her sixth plate of food, softly chatting with BB-8, telling him about the adventure they went on and reassuring him he wouldn’t have liked all the hills so it was best he stayed to help.

Finn pushes the bag of ice back into position on Poe’s knees. Bacta doesn’t help much with aches, so they have to tend to it the old fashioned way. 

The initial excitement over the TIE evaporated once Finn brought everyone to the mess hall and well wishes were shouted at Rey from practically every crew member. Rey keeps telling herself she’s going to remember her “birthday” but she never does. The trip had been a ploy, but it was a great one, and she got to celebrate with Finn and everyone else aboard the  _ Warm Sunlight _ . 

“This is a great Rey Day,” Poe whispers to Finn, squeezing his thigh with his free hand that wasn’t holding a glass of mead.

Finn smiles and closes his eyes, finally relaxed from the hustle of the day. “It was good… but I have a few ideas for next year.”

Poe groans. Finn is a monster.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter @tspofnutmeg!


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